Church Of All Saints

The Church of All Saints is a parish church dating back to the 14th century, with a clerestory and aisle roofs from the 15th century. In 1748, the west tower was rebuilt by Sanderson Miller, funded by Francis, Lord North of Wroxton Abbey. An 1885 restoration was carried out by Bodley and Garner.

The church is constructed from regular coursed ironstone rubble with ashlar detailing. It comprises an aisled nave, chancel, and west tower and has a five-window range. The chancel features a five-light east window with intersecting tracery and two similar three-light windows on both the north and south sides. The aisles have three-light windows with intersecting tracery and two- and three-light lancets with cusped heads. The clerestory incorporates four two-light Perpendicular windows with hoodmoulds and label stops. There are three entrances to the church; the south porch has a pointed arched doorway with a hoodmould and headstops, the south doorway has an arch with three orders of roll moulding and a pointed, panelled door, and a priest’s door to the right of the south porch has a pointed arched doorway, hoodmould, and plank door. The three-stage west tower has a west doorway with a panelled door. It includes pilasters through each stage, a crenellated parapet, and a clock tower inserted within a blank window on the second stage. The bell-chamber stage has a two-light louvred opening with an ogee shaped hood mould. Shallow stone parapets adorn the chancel, nave, and aisles. A sundial is located on the south aisle.

Inside, the chancel features two stone seats with sedilia under crocketed ogee canopies with finials, and a double-chamfered chancel arch. The nave has 14th-century arcades of four bays, displaying octagonal piers, moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches. The north and south aisle chapels retain moulded frames of reredoses on their east walls; the north chapel includes a piscina under a crocketed canopy, and the south chapel has two moulded image brackets. The 14th-century font was recarved in 1845-6. A pulpit incorporates Continental 16th and 17th century carved woodwork, a gift from Lord North. Communion rails, wainscotting, and a 15th-century screen also feature inset 16th/17th century woodwork. There is a gallery at the west end dating from 1738, along with late 18th/early 19th-century box pews. The chancel windows contain stained glass panels depicting the twelve apostles, created by Clayton and Bell in 1885. Windows at the east ends of the north and south aisles were designed by Burlinson and Grylls, installed in 1884 and 1894. The roofs have been partly renewed and repaired, retaining arched tiebeams. Notable monuments include a canopied alabaster tomb chest with effigies of Sir William Pope, Earl of Downe (died 1631) and his wife Anne (died 1625) with kneeling children; a marble wall slab to Lord North (Prime Minister) (died 1792) carved by John Flaxman in 1800; a wall slab to the three wives of Francis, Lord Guildford (died 1790) by Joseph Wilton, 1793; and a brass in the chancel to Margaret Bustard (died 1557), mother of Sir Thomas Pope, founder of Trinity College, Oxford. Stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops are also present.